The South Australian iNaturalists Collection Project
The Great Southern BioBlitz Observation Phase is over, with a record breaking more than 200,000 observations coming in from almost 6,000 participants. The Identification Phase finishes on the 14th, so there’s still time to get in there and help out with IDs.
As it is with BioBlitz events, the weather is key to a good outcome. Unfortunately in SA this year we had a couple of days rain, which kept people, including myself, indoors. Nevertheless across the 4 days 247 observers headed out and recorded over 5,300 observations covering at least 1,225 species.
Thanks to the GSB falling entirely within October, the event contributed to some new iNaturalist records in South Australia. Specifically most observations, observers and species recorded in a given month. We finally broke the 20k observations in a month barrier. But perhaps most impressive was the almost 800 people in South Australia that contributed observations in October, with an average of 90 people contributing every day of the month!
Featured Observations from October
With over 20,000 observations this month, there’s so many to choose from, and so many I’ll probably miss. So remember to favourite any observations you think are interesting, unusual or are simply a nice photo, and they might pop up here at the end of the month.
A Māori Octopus (Macroctopus maorum) at Encounter Bay by @davemmdave.
A Mallee Beard Orchid (Calochilus pruinosus) spotted at Coffin Bay by @lawrie_p.
A Drone Fly (Cyphipelta rufocyanea) in Belair National Park, also selected as the iNat Observation of the Day, by @mariannebroug.
A bale of Macquarie Turtles (Emydura macquarii) resting at Laratinga Wetlands by @bioshots_jm.
An Australian Owlet-Nightjar (Aegotheles cristatus) sighted in Manning Flora & Fauna Reserve by @richard8484.
One of several examples of Fly Death Fungi (Complex Entomophthora muscae) recorded this month. This one by @happywonderer.
A Crested Bicycle-Dragon (Ctenophorus cristatus) resting on a post at Lake Gilles sighted by @dgobbett.
A Castiarina Jewel Beetle (Castiarina grata) on a Hakea in Talisker Conservation Park by @nomesdownunder.
A Plains Sun Orchid (Thelymitra megcalyptra) found in the South-East by @grassroots-ky.
An Australian House Centipede (Allothereua maculata) under bark at Cambrai.
A Western Cleaner Clingfish (Cochleoceps bicolor) at Rapid Bay recorded by @scubawayne.
A group of White Beauty Spider Orchids (Caladenia argocalla) at Sevenhill by @lillian78.
A Yellow Admiral (Vanessa itea) pupa in suburbia by @sarinozi.
An aggregation of Great Spider Crabs (Leptomithrax gaimardii) at Rapid Bay by @davemmdave.
A Hand Flower (Cheiranthera alternifolia) in Scott Creek Conservation Park by @connor_margetts.
A Shorthead Seahorse (Hippocampus breviceps) near the Ardrossan jetty found by @discoslug.
A Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua galerita) showing its full personality by @anthonypaul.
A Southwestern Pygmy Possum (Cercartetus concinnus) at Munyaroo Conservation Park by @belindacopland.
A Nudibranch Dendrodoris arborescens on the reef near Seaford recorded by @mtank.
A Platyarthrid Woodlice (Platyarthrus sp.) found near an Pheidole sp. nest.
Do you have a particular expertise and are keen to help out with identifications in SA? Select your favourite taxa below to head to the Identify page:
Aves / Amphibia / Reptilia / Mammalia
Ray-Finned Fishes / Mollusca / Arachnida
Insecta / Plantae / Fungi / Protozoa / Unknowns
Data used for this post taken on the 9th of November. It excludes any observations and identifications from October that were uploaded after this date
Epistemic Curiosity 